iMentor's 2015 Fall Benefit

On Thursday, October 29, 2015, iMentor held its annual Benefit Dinner at The Plaza in New York City. In an outpouring of support, more than 350 students, mentors, and friends were in attendance.

The event, iMentor’s largest of the year, raised $1.9 million—all of which goes toward creating new mentoring relationships to support students on the path to college completion. Opportunity was the major theme of the night. Katie Couric kicked things off by hosting a conversation with four mentoring pairs whose college success journeys demonstrate resilience and determination.

One student, Maftuna, talked about the difficulty of navigating the college process as an English language learner and how her mentor’s encouragement pushed her through. Another, Wilsteedg, remembered how his mentor, Bryan, helped him nurture a college aspiration when high school seemed like the last stop.

“I’m so proud of Maftuna, not just for all that she’s accomplished academically but also for the person she has become,” said Maftuna’s mentor, Nan. “When she came here from Uzbekistan, she said she felt voiceless as an immigrant student, but she worked hard to find her voice and to forge her own path.”

The night ended with a video of iMentor student Elianny and her mentor, Sarah, who made a special live appeal for support to bring iMentor’s program to even more young people.

“The doors of opportunity do not swing open for our students,” said iMentor CEO Mike O’Brien. “I’m proud of the degree to which our mentors know this and demonstrate the courage to fight for their mentees. And not just a couple of them —5,000 of them this year.”

Thank you to all of our mentors, students, and guests who came out for this memorable evening. Click here to see more photos from the event.

Photos: Ann Billingsley